and contempt upon the misshapen creatures amongst which cruel Fate
had thrown her and to some extent vented upon them her dissatisfaction
and her thwarted love. She made them build her a strong protection
and shelter each night and keep a great fire burning before it
from dusk to dawn. When she tired of walking they were forced to
carry her upon an improvised litter, nor did one dare to question
her authority or her right to such services. In fact they did not
question either. To them she was a goddess and each loved her and
each hoped that he would be chosen as her mate, so they slaved for
her and bore the stinging lash of her displeasure and the habitually
haughty disdain of her manner without a murmur.

For many days they marched, the apes following the trail easily
and going a little distance ahead of the body of the caravan that
they might warn the others of impending danger. It was during a
noonday halt while all were lying resting after a tiresome march
that one of the apes rose suddenly and sniffed the breeze. In a
low guttural he cautioned the others to silence and a moment later
was swinging quietly up wind into the jungle. La and the priests
gathered silently together, the hideous little men fingering their
knives and bludgeons, and awaited the return of the shaggy anthropoid.

Nor had they long to wait before they saw him emerge from a leafy
thicket and approach them. Straight to La he came and in the
language of the great apes which was also the language of decadent
Opar he addressed her.

"The great Tarmangani lies asleep there," he said, pointing in the
direction from which he had just come. "Come and we can kill him."